monochrome monday

Doctor Saxlyrics by Michael Franks

By dayHe's a grease monkey it's trueA slaveFix your transmission like newChange oilRotate your tires of courseHe toilsUnder the Flying Red HorseAnd at six he rollsDown his sleevesTurns his collar upWhen the boss man leavesClose up the shopPuts away his toolsGives the last car keysTo the gas pump foolsThen he's home at lastNo more goodwrench sceneAnd he scrubs his handsTill they're surgeon cleanTakes a long hot showerSome cologne and thenThe change is completeHe's himself againAt night he's Doctor SaxHe's Mister Tenor VirtuosoHe plays to rhythm tracks on tapeNo one like Doctor SaxNot even Trane or Bird could blow soThe girls have heart attacks, they say(He'll put it all on wax one day)Some dayHe will live just in his mindSome wayLeave all his misery behindHis hornHe will blow breaking the curseRebornUnder the Flying Red Horse

I love this shot so much I won't even mention that Mr. Tenor Virtuoso is playing an alto sax in it. Oops. Guess I just did, huh?

Gotta disagree with Mr Franks on one thing though. Don't care who this cat is, nobody blows a tenor like Trane did. Sonny Rollins comes close -- real close -- but Trane's legend man. And a homey... sorta. Different part of the state and a way different time than me, but he and Monk were both native sons of NC.

Man... I pulled the trigger before I could say this reminds me of the story of Sonny Rollins on the Washington Street Bridge. He basically took a year off from performing and recording and just hung out there getting his thing together. In fact, he even cut an album called "The Bridge" that was supposedly centered on that period of his life.

Great shot, Daryl and love the lyrics. I remember taking a photo like this of another sax player as a couple were walking their dog through the arch. Lots of musicians like the acoustics they get from under the overpass.Love it.

Sounds of the sax float up from this great photo. Reminds me of the talented guy who always played on the CTA platform in Chicago.p.s. I'm so glad you knew about Queen for a Day! I watched with my favorite: Auntie Fern.

Oh, this is a GREAT photo, and my favorite kind, the kind that can be interpreted any number of ways...one way: the lines of the brick are like the bars of a jail cell (his day job). Yet interspersed is that cross, like the red cross, something which comes to your aid (his music). He's inside an enclosure (his day job) yet there is light and freedom just a few steps away (his music).